Design and Fabrication of Hypercrosslinked Covalent Organic Adsorbents for Selective Uranium Extraction

Uranium detection and extraction are necessary for the ecological environment as the growing demand for nuclear energy. Hence, exploring stable materials with excellent performance in uranium extraction and detection is highly desired. Herein, by amidoxime-functionalizing tetrafluoroterephthalonitrile (TFTPN) crosslinked hydroquinone (bP), phloroglucinol (tP), and 4,4′,4″-trihydroxytriphenylmethane (tBP), three covalent organic polymers (COPs) bPF-AO, tPF-AO, and tBPF-AO with different crosslinked architectures are fabricated. Uranium extraction and detection related to the difference in molecule construction were systemically investigated, giving some reference for the rational design and fabrication of advanced materials for the removal and monitoring of uranium in the environment. The tPF-AO with a compact steric structure achieves the highest theoretical maximum adsorption capacity of 578.9 ± 15.2 mg g–1 and the best recyclability. The scattering electron center and U(VI) selective binding sites endow tBPF-AO with excellent capability in selective detection for U(VI), with a limit of detection of 24.2 nmol L–1, which is well below the standard for U(VI) in drinking water of the World Health Organization (WHO). Moreover, the COPs possess prominent physicochemical stability and recyclability, and more importantly, the PAE-based COPs are derived from inexpensive industry materials with easy processing methods, providing an efficient and economical way for the detection and adsorption of uranium.